Mechanism for the interconversion of reciprocating and rotary motion



Oct. 19 1926. 1,603,852

A. G. M. MICHELL MECHANISM FOR THE INTERCONVERSION OF RECIPROCATING AND ROTARY MOTION Filed Dec. 1, 1924 Patented Oct. 19, 1926.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ANTHONY GEORGE MALDON MICHELL, OF MELBOURNE, VICTORIA, AUSTRALIA, AS-

SIGNOR TO CBANKLESS ENGINES LIMITED, 015 MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA.

MECHANISM FOR THE INTERCONVERSION OF BECIPROCATINGAN D ROTARY MOTION.

Application filed December 1, 1924, Serial No. 753,308, and in Australia J uly 18, 1924.

This invention relates to an improved mechanism of the type in which a. recipro-.

eating member actuates, or is actuated by, a rotating element in the form of a swash plate or slant, coaction between said member and element being effected by means of a pair of slippers quaquaversally articulated to the reciprocating member, that is to say, to mechanism of the type described in the specification of Reissue Patent No. 15,756. The improvement relates more especially to the forms of such mechanism in which the reciprocating member is unsymmetrical on the two sides of the slant, for'example to constructions similar to that illustrated in Fig. 8, of the cited patent, and it will be hereinafter described and illustrated as applied to such a construction.

In machines of the type described in the above-mentioned patent, the reciprocating member has imposed upon it by the slippers, lateral forces whichare resisted by the parts of the mechanism which guide suchreciproeating member.

It is the principal object of the resent invention to provide means for guiding the reciprocating member in such a manner that the guiding surfaces may be independent of piston elements or the like parts of such reciprocating elements, and consequently may be thoroughly lubricated, and that such surfaces may efiectively support the lateral pressures transmitted from the slippers. These lateral pressures act, in various phases of motion of the type of mechanism in ques:

tion, in all directions radially from the axis of the reciprocating member, and it is con sequently the aim of the present invention to provide effective support for the lateral pressure, in whichever direction it may be .momentarily acting.

In the accompanying drawings, Fig. 1 is a longitudinal section on a plane passing" through the axes of both the reciprocating i and the rotary elements; Fig. 2 is a crosssection on line II, II of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a section on the same plane as Fig. 1, showing parts of the mechanism in a different phase of the motion. For the sake of clearness, moving parts shown in section are hatched, while stationary parts are left in outline.

As shown in Fig. 1, the swash-plate or slant 1, has the form of an annulus with concentric cylindrical inner and outer surfaces, 2, 3, and plane and parallel lateral surfaces,

4, 5, the planes of these latter surfacesbeing oblique to the axis A A of the main shaft 2. In other Words the slant 1 maybe described as an oblique parallel section, or slice, of a hollow cylinder, the surfaces 2, 3, being portions of the inner and outer surfaces of the cylinder. The slant 1 is mounted on a cylindrical rim 6, which may be integral with or secured to the slant, and a web member 10. The rim 6 may be constructed in one piece with the web 10, or may be attached thereto as by bolts 11. The web 10, with its boss 9, may likewise be integral with, or attached by well known means to the main shaft 2, which thus rotates with the slant. The reciprocating member which may consist of a piston 13, piston stem 14, and yoke 15, is furnished with two slippers 16, 17, which are articulated to the yoke 15, in such manner that their respective plane working surfaces 18, 19, make contact respectively with the plane surfaces'4, 5, of the slant 1, in all the positions assumed by the latter during its rotation. 4

For a description of the construction of the slippers 16, 17, reference may be made to the specification of the patent above cited. The yoke 15, besides being the means of connecting the supports of the slippers 16 and 17 serves also as a means of guiding the motion of the reciprocating member. For this purpose it is fitted with bearing surfaces 20, 21, parallel to the axis a, a, of the reci rocating member. These surfaces may pre erably be portions of a common cylindrical surface, (as indicated in Fig. 2) coaxial with the cylinder 23, in which the piston 13 reci rocates, and in such case the bearing sur aces 20, 21, of the yoke, slide respectively on corresponding fixed surfaces 24, 25, which likewise form portions of a common cylinder. The surfaces 24, 25, may be formed on uide members consisting of integral extensions 27, 28, from ,the front wall of the cylinder 23, as indicated in Fig.

1, or may be upon separate members fixed left-hand end of its stroke. The positions of the principal parts of the yoke, relatively to the slant 1, and to the guide members 27, 28, when the reciprocating member is at the opposite, or right-hand end of its stroke, are indicated in Fig. 3, from which it will be seen that the surfaces 24, 25, of the guidemembers 27, 28, effectively guide the surfaces 20, 21, of the ycke when the piston is in this extreme outward portion of its stroke, and that the special annular form of the slant 1, and cylindrical form of the rim 6, are adapted to admit of the use of such guide surfaces and members. It will be understood that the construction of the piston, piston-stem, and

yoke in separate pieces, as above described and illustrated, is not an essential feature of the invention, as these parts may be constructed and connected in a variety of other ways which are well known or will be read ily apparent to the designers of machines. Similarly, the slant 1, and rim 6, instead of being constructed separately from, and detachably connected to the web 10 as shown, may be formed integrally therewith, or the web 10 may be formed integrally with the rim 6, and the slant 1 may be detachably mounted on the latter or all three parts may be made as separate elements. A detachable connection between the parts has the advantage that by breaking a joint such as 29 in the main casing, 30, 30, of the machine and at the same time detaching the slant 1, the whole of that portion of the engine-casing 30, comprising cylinders. pistons, yokes and slant, may be drawn ofi' longitudinally with the bearing 31, leaving the rear portion 30 of the casing, with the shaft in position in its bearing 32.

It will be understood that the oblique slant 1, and unsymmetrical rim 6, are susceptible of the same kind of dynamical balance by means of the reciprocating parts as is explained in the prior patent Reissue 15,756. It being necessary that the rotat- 1ng member, including the said rim 6, shall be statically balanced about the axis A, A, the unsymmetrical form of the rim 6, may for this purpose be compensated for by forming holes as 33 in the wider portion of the rim, as well as holes 34 in the web 10, adjacent to said wider portion of the rim.

Alternatively this balance may be effected by adding balance weights to the rotating parts, in any of various well known ways.

Lubrication of the mechanism hereinbefore described may be effected by any method usually applied to slant and slipper mechanisms, e. g. jets of oil may be directed, from nozzles supplied under pressure or by means of injectors supplied with compressed air, upon the working faces 4, 5, of the annular slant, and additional jets may be directed upon the working surfaces 24, 25. Alternatively lubrication of the slant and slipper mechanism may be effected, by delivering oil upon the inner surface of the rotating cylindrical rim 6, such oil being retained upon and distributed over the said surface by centrifugal force and thence delivered at the open end of the said rim to the surface 4, and through holes 35, to the surface 5, of the annular slant 1.

claim 1. In mechanism for the interconversion of reciprocating and rotary motion, a reciprocating piston member, an annular swashplate, slippers on said member engaging with the swash plate, longitudinal guide members on the reciprocating member and adjacent the slippers, and stationary longitudinal guide members co-acting with the guide members on the reciprocating mem- 2. In mechanism for the interconversion of reciprocating and rotary motion, a reciprocating member, slippers thereon, an annular swash plate, a pair of guides on said member adjacent the slippers, and stationary elements on which said guides slide, said guides arranged respectively exterior and interior of said swash plate.

3. In mechanism for the interconversion of reciprocating and rotary motion, a reciprocating member, slippers thereon, an annular swash plate, a pair of cylindrical guides on said member adjacent the slippers, and stationary cylindrical elements on which said guides slide, said guides arranged respectively exterior and interior of said swash late. a p Dated this thirtieth day of September, 1924.

ANTHONY GEORGE MALDON MICHELL. 

